Colonel Muammar Gaddafi could order another Lockerbie-style terrorist attack
on Britain in “revenge” for the government’s role in the war against the
Libyan regime, a senior Cabinet minister has warned.

Image 1 of 5

Scottish rescue workers and crash investigators search the area around the cockpit of Pan Am flight 103 in a farmer's field east of Lockerbie Scotland after a mid-air bombing killed all 259 passengers and crew, and 11 people on the ground.Photo: REUTERS

Image 1 of 5

Kenneth Clarke also voiced doubts over the British involvement in the North Africa country.Photo: CLARA MOLDEN

Image 1 of 5

David Cameron this week referred to Col Gaddafi's links to the Lockerbie bombing.Photo: PA/AP

Image 1 of 5

Mr Clarke said the UN resolution did not support regime change as occupation a "mad" policy to pursue.Photo: AFP/GETTY

Image 1 of 5

He added that it "would be mad to occupy another country while we are in Afghanistan".Photo: REUTERS

Kenneth Clarke also voiced doubts over the British involvement in the North Africa country, admitting he was "not totally convinced anyone knows where we are going now" despite defending military intervention.

In an interview, the Justice Secretary admitted a “revenge” attack could be ordered by Libyan regime if it is left in power, in retaliation for Britain's role in the enforcement of the United Nations resolution.

Mr Clarke, also the Lord Chancellor, said the British people had a reason to “remember the curse of Gaddafi” over his involvement in the 1988 bombing, which killed 270 people.

Mr Clarke said the UN resolution did not support regime change as occupation a "mad" policy to pursue. "We do have one particular interest in the Maghreb (the western region of North Africa), which is Lockerbie,” Mr Clarke said.

"The British people have reason to remember the curse of Gaddafi – Gaddafi back in power, the old Gaddafi looking for revenge, we have a real interest in preventing that.

He said: "In this country we know what Gaddafi is capable of. We simply cannot have a situation where a failed pariah state festers on Europe's border.”

They also follow those of a defence minister. When asked how long Britain would be involved in the military operation,Nick Harvey, the Armed Forces minister replied: “How long is a piece of string? We don’t know how long this is going to go on for.”

In his interview with The Guardian, Mr Clarke insisted that the public would continue to support intervention as long as “innocent people” were being protected.

Ministers have previously publicly warned of a stalemate in Libya. A poll published by the newspaper also found a majority of the public oppose British involvement in the military action in Libya.

But Mr Clarke insisted: "The British people will support us for as long as it takes, so long they think we are protecting innocent civilians, many of whom seem to share our values against an evil dictator.

“We would have seen a lot of innocent people, some of them inspired by the best motives, being killed and a quite lunatic regime back in power, acting as an inspiration to others who want to imitate him. So we have already achieved something.”

He added that it “would be mad to occupy another country while we are in Afghanistan”. He said the UN resolution on Libya "represented a significant event in the evolution of the world order".

On Thursday, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General told the Security Council that Libyan troops were disregarding the ceasefire order.